My apologies for being a bit distracted this morning. I am having a second straight morning where I am very foggy-headed. It makes for a distracting morning as I deal with some outside issues. Today we will deal with John’s account of the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus. I have called this the lowest point in human history before, and I stand by that statement now.
Crucifixion is a particularly brutal and painful way to die. In the Roman world, it would sometimes take a matter of days for a person to do this way. Often the cause of death was asphyxiation because the person couldn’t lift their body up any longer in order to breathe. It is also important to remember that Jesus went through this after receiving a severe beating, so physically, he already wasn’t in the best shape.
28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:28-30
This seems like such a final moment here. If it were not for the Resurrection a few days later, it would have been a final moment. We are cleansed because Jesus died for our sins as the ultimate sacrifice, but that sacrifice has no meaning without the Resurrection. Since Jesus did rise from the dead and still lives, he took the keys of death and can now act as mediator between us and God. Because of that, we can live forever if we believe in Him.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment